Population estimates and demographic profiles are central to both academic and public debates about immigration, immigrant assimilation, and minority mobility. Analysts’ conclusions are shaped by the choices that survey respondents make about how to identify themselves on surveys, but such choices change over time. Using linked responses to the 2000 and 2010 Censuses, our paper examines the extent to which individuals change between specific Hispanic categories such as Mexican origin. We first examine how changes in identification affect population change for national and regional origin groups. We then examine patterns of entry and exit to understand which groups more often switch between a non-Hispanic, another specific origin, or a general Hispanic identification. Finally, we profile who is most likely to change identification. Our findings affirm the fluidity of ethnic identification, especially between categories of Hispanic origin, which in turn carries important implications for population and compositional changes.
WORKING PAPER | JULY 2018
The Opportunities and Challenges of Linked IRS Administrative...
This paper assesses bias in and demonstrates the utility of linked IRS, SSA, ACS, and decennial census data for longitudinal study of contemporary migration.
WORKING PAPER | JULY 2018
Foreign-Born and Native-Born Migration in the U.S.: Evidence from...
This paper details migration among native-born and foreign-born populations in the United States using linked IRS, SSA, ACS, and decennial census records.
WORKING PAPER | AUGUST 2018
Using Linked Data to Investigate True Intergenerational Change....
This paper provides proof of concept for using linked data to follow three generations of immigrant parents, children and grandchildren across seven decades.